Whitby
August 10, 2021
Rude Whitby....cross Mark!
When calling a boat on the VHF radio, it is traditional to say "Hello Good Dog, this is Whitby Swing Bridge". Not...... "Oi Good Dog....hurry up and get through the bridge!" which is how I was addressed when manoeuvering in Whitby harbour. Occurring just after we had struggled to locate the leading marks (try and spot them in Photo 4) and then having been asked to tie up and move twice while we waited for the swing bridge to open, it was not a good start to our visit to this very pretty and historic harbour.
Maybe I was already upset because the council-employed Harbour Master had said he was "working from home" and it was all too difficult to meet me. Ho hum, I was prepared to get over all these irritations, but then to find out that Captain Cook had not even been born in Whitby (he was a Middlesbrough lad) really did take the biscuit!
So what else did I find out about Whitby harbour? That the Tate Bridge Pier (photo 7), with its Viking foundations is one of the oldest constructions in Britain and that the said swing bridge which has been a vital connection between the two halves of the town since 1909 - regularly gets stuck, both closed and open. Maybe that is why the operators are so grumpy?!
Thank you to the kind marina staff who looked after us exceptionally well and to Deputy Harbour Master James Buck who I was to meet the next day in Scarborough.
I do recommend visiting Whitby - but go in the winter, when the tourists have gone and the place is calm again.
When calling a boat on the VHF radio, it is traditional to say "Hello Good Dog, this is Whitby Swing Bridge". Not...... "Oi Good Dog....hurry up and get through the bridge!" which is how I was addressed when manoeuvering in Whitby harbour. Occurring just after we had struggled to locate the leading marks (try and spot them in Photo 4) and then having been asked to tie up and move twice while we waited for the swing bridge to open, it was not a good start to our visit to this very pretty and historic harbour.
Maybe I was already upset because the council-employed Harbour Master had said he was "working from home" and it was all too difficult to meet me. Ho hum, I was prepared to get over all these irritations, but then to find out that Captain Cook had not even been born in Whitby (he was a Middlesbrough lad) really did take the biscuit!
So what else did I find out about Whitby harbour? That the Tate Bridge Pier (photo 7), with its Viking foundations is one of the oldest constructions in Britain and that the said swing bridge which has been a vital connection between the two halves of the town since 1909 - regularly gets stuck, both closed and open. Maybe that is why the operators are so grumpy?!
Thank you to the kind marina staff who looked after us exceptionally well and to Deputy Harbour Master James Buck who I was to meet the next day in Scarborough.
I do recommend visiting Whitby - but go in the winter, when the tourists have gone and the place is calm again.